Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Winterthur and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,202 a month against $4,037 in Winterthur, rent and utilities included – about $22,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

196

Cost of Living Index in Winterthur
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Winterthur Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Winterthur and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Winterthur and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,037 in Winterthur versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Winterthur $4,037
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,873 in Winterthur versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Winterthur $5,873
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,709 in Winterthur versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Winterthur $7,709
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Winterthur is roughly 83% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Winterthur 198% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$17.04 €15.15

76.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 97.8

$62.3 €55.4

90.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.88 CHF 14.73

$11.02 €9.80

62.25%

Cappuccino

$5.98 CHF 4.93

$3.12 €2.78

91.67%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 CHF 4.41

$2.27 €2.02

136.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.78 CHF 3.94

$1.74 €1.55

174.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.37 CHF 6.89

$3.42 €3.04

144.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.64 CHF 5.46

$3.74 €3.33

77.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.17 €1.04

93.16%

White Bread (500g)

$3.88 CHF 3.20

$1.86 €1.66

108.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$1.54 €1.37

196.10%

Eggs

$7.32 CHF 6.03

$4.06 €3.61

80.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$32.30 CHF 26.61

$12.91 €11.49

150.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.04 CHF 23.91

$7.90 €7.03

267.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.00 CHF 34.59

$17.64 €15.69

138.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$2.26 €2.01

93.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$1.75 €1.55

27.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.16 CHF 2.60

$1.89 €1.68

67.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 CHF 5.55

$2.56 €2.27

163.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 CHF 2.06

$1.85 €1.64

35.14%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 CHF 2.14

$1.97 €1.75

31.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CHF 2.10

$1.45 €1.29

75.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.77 €0.69

58.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.72 CHF 8.83

$6.71 €5.97

59.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 CHF 10.65

$5.67 €5.04

128.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 CHF 2.67

$1.37 €1.22

136.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 CHF 3.28

$2.11 €1.88

88.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.27 CHF 4.34

$2.32 €2.07

127.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.7 CHF 79.7

$44.43 €39.52

117.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 CHF 4.56

$3.95 €3.51

40.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$1.05 €0.93

230.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.0 CHF 50.2

$17.15 €15.26

255.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.19 €1.95

1.83%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$42.9K CHF 35.3K

$33.8K €30.0K

26.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.6K CHF 32.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

3.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$426 CHF 351

$164 €146

160.28%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.07 CHF 26.42

$18.48 €16.43

73.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.3 CHF 62.9

$32.96 €29.32

131.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$82.3 CHF 67.8

$45.87 €40.80

79.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.66 CHF 27.72

$18.68 €16.61

80.19%

Cinema Ticket

$27.64 CHF 22.76

$9.75 €8.67

183.49%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,810 CHF 1,491

$684 €608

164.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$33.2K CHF 27.3K

$17.6K €15.7K

88.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$184 CHF 152

$104 €92.3

77.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$145 CHF 119

$46.20 €41.09

213.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$202 CHF 166

$99.7 €88.7

102.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$458 CHF 377

$125 €111

267.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,266 CHF 1,866

$1,589 €1,414

42.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,671 CHF 1,376

$1,169 €1,040

42.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,710 CHF 3,056

$2,851 €2,536

30.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 CHF 2,058

$1,993 €1,773

25.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$23.2K CHF 19.1K

$7,793 €6,932

197.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.0K CHF 14.0K

$4,418 €3,930

285.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,453 CHF 5,314

$1,600 €1,423

303.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.48

3.85

-35.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Winterthur: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Winterthur

$1.7K 41.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 30% $502

Groceries & Markets

Winterthur

$646 16%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 57.8% $373

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Winterthur

$535 13.3%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 59.7% $320

Eating Out

Winterthur

$462 11.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 46.4% $214

Clothing & Footwear

Winterthur

$445 11%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 62.1% $277

Getting Around

Winterthur

$141 3.5%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 55.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Winterthur

$138 3.4%

Lisbon

$65 3% 52.5% $72

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,266 in Winterthur and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Winterthur pays 303% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $119 in Winterthur vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $646 vs $273 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Winterthur

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

17:15 5:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h behind Winterthur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

108,044

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Winterthur Lisbon 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Winterthur
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Winterthur vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Winterthur and Lisbon differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($4,037 vs $2,202 including rent). Lisbon is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 303% higher in Winterthur, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,266 in Winterthur versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,810 in Winterthur versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 137% higher in Winterthur. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,202 in Lisbon versus $4,037 in Winterthur, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Winterthur. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Winterthur and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 83% less than in Winterthur. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.